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Three words to a good life: Just do it

Dr. Tim Pychyl, a psychology professor at Carleton University, points out that all procrastination is delay, but not all delay is procrastination. (SUPPLIED PHOTO)

By Jessica HumeSpecial to the Star

Wed., Dec. 22, 2010

Got any new year’s resolutions in mind for this year? Made any of those same resolutions before? So, what happened? Let me guess: you’re getting started first thing tomorrow?

Well, do you want to make those changes you said you would, or not?

Dr. Tim Pychyl is a professor of psychology at Carleton University and he runs the Procrastination Research Group in Ottawa. He recently attended a conference on death and dying. One of the most poignant seminars, he recalls, was one in which people whose lives were close to ending spoke about regrets.

“You can say, for an awfully long time, that you’re going to do something, and the long-term consequences of not doing it can be just terrible,” he said.

Some people at the conference had things they had intended to do for years, and one day realized they had grown old without ever doing them, he recalled.

“I know it’s a cliché, but it’s better to regret the things you’ve done. than the things you haven’t.”

Pychyl distinguishes between procrastination and delay: All procrastination is delay; not all delay is procrastination.

“We all need to delay some things, and, sometimes, we find that to put something off can be wise,” he said. “But there is no good form of procrastination. We have to see it for what it is, and it’s giving in to feel good. It’s a short-term, emotional affair, but it comes at a long-term cost.”

Like the drunk driver, or the smoker who is forever quitting tomorrow, the procrastinator suffers from a lack of self-control. The Greeks had a word for it: Akrasia. It means to act in a manner we know is not in our best interest.

“It’s an emotional problem; it’s not about time-management.”

Which is why Pychyl is not sold on the idea of breaking down big tasks or the ever-popular notion of list-making.

“Procrastinators love lists! Because making the list is work in itself, so people will, you know, get a day-planner and write down all the things they want to do. Then they’ll go watch TV, because the agenda says they can start tomorrow.”

Pychyl has a better idea: Just get started!

“It’s not like the Nike, ‘Just Do It!’ logo,” he explains. “Just doing it can be a huge task. So I say just get started. We procrastinate because the task at hand makes us feel awful, so we avoid it. But if we just get started, often we find it’s not as bad as we thought. The research shows that making progress toward a goal increases our well-being and motivation.”

Pychyl prefers not to dwell on the idea of goal-setting, but he does acknowledge that the more concrete they are, the more likely goals are to be achieved. A sense of timing and urgency attached to the goals can help us ensure they materialize.

“The thing with goals is there’s a contrast between the goal itself and the implementation, “ he said. “If your goal is X, how you achieve that is through behaviour Y.”

But behaviour is not easily changed. (Just ask any environmentalist!) It can indicate how we feel and what we think about our tasks.

Fear, says Toronto psychotherapist Marilyn Minden, can drive a wedge between a person and his or her goals.

“Some people have fear of starting, or fear of finishing tasks,” she said. “The procrastinator often seeks distractions - especially ones that are non-committal, like checking email - because not only does it distract from having to do something, it’s a distraction from feeling fear, as well.”

Here is a trick Minden uses with her clients: Sit down and ask yourself the following questions: What are your goals? How important are they to you? What would the effect be of accomplishing them? Can you picture that? Are your goals abstract, or can you visualize them clearly? What do you feel physically, when you talk about your goals? Do you talk about your goals?

“Talk about your goals! When you externalize the internal dialogue, you’re less at odds; it’s like you have an alliance with yourself.”

Because the brain has two parts, Minden says: The top dog and the underdog.

Call them whatever you like, but the fact is that these two parts of the brain are constantly battling over their influence over you. The winning part shows in your behaviour. Reconciliation between the two is easier when we acknowledge the inner conflict exists.

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